November is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month and according to new statistics released by the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2019 annual report, “Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures,” there are 5.8 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease today. Every 65 seconds someone in the U.S. develops the disease and by 2050 the number of people in the U.S. with Alzheimer’s disease is projected to rise to nearly 14 million. That means the ability to manage client care will become even more important.
Clearly, the challenges of managing the care of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s will only continue to grow. As a home care provider, you know this means that you will very likely see increased numbers of clients needing specialized care for this disease and other types of dementia in the years to come.
Managing Care of Alzheimer’s Clients with Rosemark
Providing care for clients with serious diseases like Alzheimer’s disease first and foremost requires a well-trained and capable caregiving staff. Behind the scenes, the tools a home care agency utilizes to manage and oversee this care can make a world of difference to the quality and effectiveness of care provided. With Rosemark, our customers serving Alzheimer’s clients are able to easily and efficiently create and manage care plans, track and report on client conditions, and keep client family members apprised of their loved one’s care in real-time.
Some of the key features Rosemark provides include the following:
Customizable Care Plans
Our system allows home care agencies to easily create highly specific care plans. Creating care plans for each client takes into account the various elements of care that may be asked for or required by the client, a family member, or an insurance company. Client condition can then be easily tracked against the care plan and updates can be easily made at any time. While changes to care plans may need to be made from time to time, a record of historic care plans is maintained so previous care plan information for the client can be accessed and referred to at any time. Since Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease and can progress at varying rates depending on the person, having flexibility around the creation and maintenance of client care plans is critical.
Task Logging & Notes Recording
Within Rosemark’s Caregiver Mobile App and telephony tools, caregivers can easily keep a record of the tasks they perform each shift based on the specific care plans for each client. This feature increases accountability and helps to ensure that clients receive all elements of care that they require. Rosemark goes a step further and provides caregivers with the ability to provide additional notes and explanations around the tasks completed if a caregiver feels more detail is appropriate. For example, if an Alzheimer’s client is showing increasing signs of agitation and distress and refuses to eat or drink, his or her caregiver can provide this information via the notes feature in the caregiver app and the issue can then be followed up on by agency staff as needed.
Communication Channel for Agency and CareForce
Rosemark also offers an efficient channel of communication for agency staff and caregivers to communicate outside the parameters of client care plans. Agency staff can leave messages for specific caregivers within (EVV) Electronic Visit Verification. Rosemark’s electronic visit verification solution is made up of the Caregiver Mobile App and/or a telephony system. Caregivers can do the same when needing to relay a message back to the agency. For example, if special information about an Alzheimer’s client’s condition needs to be shared with their caregiver prior to their next shift, agency staff can provide that information within the system. It will then be available to the caregiver when they clock in at the client’s home either via the EVV. Likewise, at the conclusion of their shift, a caregiver can leave a message for agency staff in the same way to provide an immediate update or real-time feedback on the client’s condition.
Client Family and Outside Concerned Parties Web Portal
For families dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, it can be a very trying experience. Many families may start by caring for their loved one themselves but when that is no longer feasible, care from a dedicated third-party caregiver in the home can be the next best thing. Rosemark offers a customizable client web portal. This feature helps keep family members and potentially outside concerned parties apprised of their loved one’s care and condition.
Through this portal, home care agency staff can provide a variety of information about the care provided to their loved ones. The types of information provided can be customized. Information could include things like shift clock-in/out information, the care tasks completed, and specific notes and comments about a specific shift or the overall health and well-being of the client.
Having this feature could be a selling point to some client situations who find themselves working with (MCO’s) managed care organizations and long-term care insurance. Another possibility would be keeping therapists of different types informed of condition and care.
Based on the latest statistics, care for people with Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. is going to become increasingly more important and needed in the coming years.
Start the conversation! To learn more about how the Rosemark System can provide a comprehensive electronic visit verification solution and help your home care agency effectively manage client care, reach out to us at 734-662-3537